In a recent Huffington Post article, it was pointed out that female entrepreneurs are often excluded by male-dominated investor groups, either intentionally (and illegally) or unintentionally through familiarity bias.

What’s the answer to this glaring problem in our entrepreneurial ecosystem? Female mentors, female business leaders, and female investors. In the United States, female leaders are now majority owners of 36% of all businesses… but only receive 3% of venture capital funding. New companies and VCs are hoping to change that paradigm.

The number of female angel investors is on the rise, up to nearly 20%, up from 12.2% just two years ago. Venture funds in the Orange County area that specifically focus on funding female-led businesses, such as Golden Seeds, are starting to fill the big gap in the investing world – and at Chicklabs, female mentors help guide fledgeling entrepreneurs from an idea to a foundational business.

Once VC funds start looking for more female investors, however, a big part of getting funding for your business is knowing how to connect with and impress venture capitalists. Fortunately, the team at Chicklabs has extensive expertise in this area. From finding sympathetic investors to perfecting a pitch, we help our portfolio of companies grow by drawing on networks that truly believe in the success of gender diverse teams.